At Dollywood, Pork Rinds Are Served With This Classic Southern Spread

For four decades, Dollywood, the Smoky Mountain theme park co-owned by country music legend Dolly Parton, has grown to become not just one of Tennessee's biggest tourist attractions, but one of the state's most beloved cultural institutions. Parton and her collaborators worked hard to make the park a reflection of not just herself, but the world in which she grew up –- which, naturally, includes the food. Embodying Southern tradition and classic comfort food, one must-have dish for visitors to Dollywood is its winning combination of pork rinds with pimento cheese.

Pork rinds are a Dollywood staple — so much so, in fact, that one of the its numerous eateries is named after the snack. The park boasts that pork rinds are freshly made and "deep-fried to golden perfection." Stop into Granny Ogle's Ham 'n' Beans restaurant and order up a serving of pork rinds accompanied by a hot pimento cheese dip, which both compliment each other in savory taste, and provide a pleasing textural contrast between crispy and gooey.

For those unfamiliar with it, pimento cheese, Parton is a huge fan of, is an unctuous combination of cheese, mayonnaise, and diced pimentos, though there are many more elaborate variations. Its origins actually lie in 19th-century New York, where the advent of mass-manufactured cream cheese and the import of canned Spanish peppers made pimento cheese possible. In the years following World War II, however, pimento cheese was enthusiastically adopted by the American South, which had become the primary source for the nation's pimentos.

With Dollywood set to begin its 2026 season, anticipation has been running especially high since the announcement that Dolly Parton herself will return as the grand marshal of the Dolly Homecoming Parade, her first major public appearance after several months away from the spotlight for health reasons. If you are among those in attendance, Dollywood provides plentiful dining options, with Parton herself having told Southern Living that, while her favorite thing to eat at the park is "everything," she has a special fondness of its funnel cake.

If you are unable to make it to Dollywood but would like to recreate this indulgent pairing, whipping up a batch of your own pimento cheese dip could not be simpler. While the precise ingredients for the Granny Ogle's version are not publicly available, it does involve blending multiple cheeses, a technique you may wish to emulate to add complexity to the dip's taste; or, if you really want to double down on the meaty flavor of the pork rinds, you might consider trying Kate Shungu's recipe for pimento cheese, which is spiked with crispy, crumbled bacon.